1. Field
Embodiments of the invention relate to woodchippers for chipping wood, brush, and other fibrous material. More particularly, embodiments of the invention relate to a feed system with a material-interface member movable into an interfacing position and a non-interfacing position with the material dependent on an operational parameter of the woodchipper.
2. Related Art
Many woodchippers have feed systems that assist in feeding material to be chipped towards and into a chipping mechanism. Some woodchipper designs include multiple feed rollers that cooperatively rotate to grasp the material and push it through the feed system and to the chipping mechanism. Other woodchipper designs include a single upper feed wheel or dual feed wheel system where the upper feed wheel pivots downwards towards the material and rotates about a horizontal axis to push the material towards the chipping mechanism. The feed rollers or feed wheel, both of which interface with the material, continuously operate while the woodchipper is powered on. This continuous operation is sometimes undesirable, however, if the chipping mechanism is stalled or otherwise operating poorly. The material also may become stuck and not able to be pushed forward into the chipping mechanism. This stopping of the material, sometimes called wood chocking, requires significant downtime to turn off the woodchipper and free the wood-chocked material.